Astrazeneca chairman add 6,000 shares

A round-up of the biggest director deals today so far.

Improved full year guidance ensured Astrazeneca shares proved popular with board members this week, with chairman Leif Johansson adding a further 6,000 shares to his stake in the drugs maker.

The shares were acquired at SEK 502.95 per share, equal to 4,347p each.

Purchases were also made by non-executive directors Geneviève Berger, Shriti Vadera and senior non-executive director John Varley.

Vadera and Varley each added 3,500 shares, paying 4,328p and 4,370p, respectively. Berger purchased 300 shares at 4,324p.

The purchases came after the company upped its guidance for the year after delivering a 4% increase in second quarter revenue to $6.4bn, ahead of expectations.

Half year turnover at the drugs giant climbed 3%, driven by gains across all five of its growth areas, particularly Diabetes, which jumped 128% following the successful integration of the BMS assets and the launch of Farxiga in the US.

For the full year, revenue is expected to be in line with the prior year at constant exchange rates (CER), compared to previous guidance of a low-to-mid single digit percentage decline.

Top Director Buys

AstraZeneca (AZN)

Director name: Mr Leif Johansson

Amount purchased: 6,000 @ 4,355.23p

Value: £261,314

AstraZeneca (AZN)

Director name: Mr John Varley

Amount purchased: 3,500 @ 4,370.00p

Value: £152,950

AstraZeneca (AZN)

Director name: Baroness Shriti Vadera

Amount purchased: 3,500 @ 4,328.00p

Value: £151,480

Maven Income and Growth VCT 5 (MIG5)

Director name: Mr Allister G Langlands

Amount purchased: 100,000 @ 30.00p

Value: £30,000

Barclays (BARC)

Director name: Sir David A Walker

Amount purchased: 11,522 @ 225.79p

Value: £26,016

Standard Life Investments Property Income Trust Ltd. (SLI)

Director name: Mr Robert Peto

Amount purchased: 27,435 @ 72.90p

Value: £20,000

ULS Technology (ULS)

Director name: Mr John Williams

Amount purchased: 48,291 @ 41.00p

Value: £19,799

Standard Life Investments Property Income Trust Ltd. (SLI)

Director name: Mr Richard Barfield

Amount purchased: 20,000 @ 72.90p

Value: £14,580

AstraZeneca (AZN)

Director name: Professor Genevieve Berger

Amount purchased: 300 @ 4,324.00p

Value: £12,972

Barclays (BARC)

Director name: Mr Reuben Jeffery III

Amount purchased: 5,280 @ 225.79p

Value: £11,922

Top Director Sells

British American Tobacco (BATS)

Director name: Mr Nicandro Durante

Amount sold: 72,485 @ 3,535.00p

Value: £2,562,345

Carpetright (CPR)

Director name: Mr Martin Harris

Amount sold: 90,000 @ 525.00p

Value: £472,500

Devro (DVO)

Director name: Mr Peter Page

Amount sold: 37,565 @ 253.44p

Value: £95,205

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